Winter
by miriya v
Summary: Tomoe's death with some pretty words. Read it, ne?


[Winter  
a Rurouni Kenshin fanfiction by miriya valentine]  
  
Don't know what to say, really...I wrote this for a class assignment, and it wouldn't leave me. *sigh* Kenshin and Tomoe here, and not happy. Didn't you just LOVE the outcome of the OVAs? *happy face* I couldn't have done it better... but then again, I suppose that's why they're makin' anime and I'm sittin' here all by my lonesome writin' about it. ^_^  
  
Um. Kenshin and the gang are Watsuki-sensei's, and the song is something or the other, sung by The Cure. ^___^ Good enough?  
  
Let's get at it, ne? ^_^ Shinigami grant me grace, here we are...  
  
---  
  
  
| One by one her senses die   
The memories fade   
And leave her eyes  
Still seeing worlds that never were  
And one by one the bright birds leave her... |  
  
  
All around him, the snow is falling, dove-white, starlet blossoms descending from the stormy gray skies, covering everything, hiding. The snowfall is frigid, but not as cold as his heart because he knows what he's done...  
  
The katana makes a sickening sound as he drives it home, until this very moment he is unaware of her gift, her sacrifice. Behind her, through her, the other man falls to the ground, his blood already staining the god-like purity of the snow with its crimson color.   
  
She makes a sound of pain, letting the agony out into the air with as little breath as she can spare, she has very little breath and it hurts so much to breathe... She can't stand, anymore, and in horror he has drawn the katana back, tossing it to the ground in sudden hatred for all he's become.   
  
The /battousai/ throws forward his arms as she begins to tumble backwards, towards him, falling to the snow, the blood-spattered ground that has tried to hide beneath the white. Unable to stop it, though she never wanted to hurt him--no, not in any way-- the small dagger she held to defend him follows the path of gravity, a bright silver flash then down-- it slides against and leaves a fine line across his cold, cold cheek, crossing; completing the stigmata begun by her beloved Kyosato, not so long ago. But he doesn't feel it, his spring, his summer, his autumn are fading before his eyes to coldest winter, despite her pain-filled smile. His heart...it is winter, too.  
  
The snow adds more pallor to her already white cheeks, a lighter shade of pale. And the snow, is falling, falling still, its silent touch moving already to remove this brief stain from its implacable canvas.  
  
He blinks in disbelief.  
  
In her belly, his sword has made a path... Twilight eyes dilate as he stares in shock, his hazy vision flickering as he tries to make out the pure angles and lines of her face. "Tomoe!"  
  
She hears him, and lifts her face in recognition, her blood already beginning to color her lips. In her eyes is an expression of love and hope; hope that the battle is over, and he has truly won. The snow is roaring, rushing now, white and cruel, gods, what has he done? Even the sun is refusing to shine here...they are alone, alone...  
  
White and purple, snow and lilac fill his vision; white plum and copper-tang blood are in his mouth and nose, what has he done? He's killed her, but the gentleness in her eyes is speaking volumes otherwise. She smiles, she /smiles/ at him, it's alright dear, don't cry, take this and live, it's for you...everything for you.  
  
"To...mo...e..."  
  
She would tell him, she would tell him everything; but she has neither breath nor voice to speak it. His arms are a weary comfort however, and she wants nothing more than to stay there forever. It hurts, oh yes it does, but it's so warm, here. Give back the time, draw back the days and send it all back...  
  
She'd die for him again. Anything. But the snow is cold, and he's here with her now...there is so very little time left. /And she hurt him./ Through her fading vision, she can see the slight trickle of blood as it slides beneath the curve of his chin. But it hurts, gods, it hurts...  
  
/It's all right...so please don't cry./  
  
Death is staring her in the face, and she's calm before it. Winter take her, she is glad to go, but gods don't let him hurt like this. Strength is waning, but there are tears, silvery tears streaming, mixing with his blood and she doesn't want him to hurt like this... Agony by inches, she lifts her hand, the bloody kimono's sleeve reveals her bare white arm as she lifts her hand to brush away his tears.  
  
/It's all right...so please don't cry./  
  
It's cold, so cold, but she struggles to grasp his warmth. It's all she has, and she wants to remember, if only for a few moments.  
  
And he feels like he is dying, even as she is. He can half-hear the faint cadence of her breaths despite his shattered hearing; he can barely see her and instead relies on frost-tinged touch, feeling the rise and fall of her chest. Her life is fading, and for what? For /him/?  
  
/It's all right...so please don't cry./   
  
Never before has he felt so alone, and she's still there with him...he struggles to see her face clearly and he can only see the snow-spangled ink of her black hair, the deep, shadowed hollow of her eyes, the blood-hue of her lips.  
  
"Why...why..." He echoes himself, the melodious tone broken and empty, poured out among the snowflakes. He swore to protect her happiness, he wanted to give her the dreams she desired so badly....  
  
Could only he have known that she is happy, now. But his eyes are clouded with battle and tears, he can't see her pure smile, purer than the falling snow...no better gift, no...  
  
/It's all right...so please, don't cry./  
  
He feels her body, the cooling warmth of her blood, stolen with her life by the cold winter around them. He loves her so, so much...his heart is dying with her, he knows... "...To...mo...e..."  
  
His vision clears suddenly, and he sees her, sees the blood, and the snow and white plum scent swirls around them, stinging his eyes with his tears; he can't obey her request, but she's smiling. She's /happy/...  
  
//I love you.//  
  
/...forever.../  
  
Everything is silent. Her eyes are closing now, it's all black and dark lashes and she looks so peaceful...she dies in his arms, her death-sigh a prayerful word that is his name.  
  
And she's dead...she's gone, gone forever, he'll love her longer than that.  
  
/It's all right...please don't cry./  
  
I love you...it's not enough.  
  
Live...  
  
The crimson, the black, the lilac shade of her life...it all fades to white, and he's alone in an empty forest with nothing more than a broken body and the empty vessel of a girl from Edo, a lost cat he's given his life to.  
  
//Tomoe...I won't forget...//  
  
But he can feel her spirit, holding him, it's all right.  
  
Please don't cry.  
  
Not for me. I love you.  
  
And everything is so very white...  
  
-owari-  
  
miri: god, what a terrible way to end the story... *sigh* ah, well. Time for sleepies.... 


End file.
